A few early birds ventured out in 15 degrees C weather to stroll before breakfast, a simple affair in the courtyard or characterful dining area. Our fellow hotel guests were a group of French hikers doing a variety of day hikes in the area.
The bus arrived at 9.30 to take us to Ephesus, Guray again our guide, much to our delight. Ephesus was predictably crowded but it was still a very special excursion. Once the centre for the cult of Cybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess (around 800 BC), who under the Ionians became Artemis, the virgin god of the hunt and the moon, Ephesus became the capital of Roman Asia, and Artemis became Diana. The sea, now 5 miles away, once lapped at the commercial centre of the city, the agora just below the theatre. The wealthy lived within the city walls while the general populace
lived under bamboo, wood or straw on the hills surrounding. Ephesus itself moved several times, being demolished by earthquakes and marauding Goths. The ruins we see today are of the city founded in the 4th century BC by Alexander the Great's successor, Lysinachus.
The visit to Mary's House after lunch, situated high up on the mountainside and
surrounded by tall trees in which squirrels chatted loudly, was a special experience even for the non-religious amongst us. St John the Evangelist brought Mary, mother of Jesus to Ephesus in AD 37 and it is in this little stone house which looks and feels like a small chapel inside that she spent the last years of her life. Outside, a priest was conducting a service for a small congregation and the singing which reached us inside sent goosebumps up my arms. Devout practitioners, both Muslim and Christian, stopped and prayed, bought candles and religious icons or holy water from the little kiosk outside and some added written messages or prayers of supplication to the wall full of them, knitted and knotted with handkerchiefs, shreds of fabric and ribbon. Emotive and tranquillising.
Instead of another visit to a workshop, we elected to be dropped at the St John's
Basilica after a visit to the one columned remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The friendly Imam at the imposing13th Century Bey Mosque below the Basilica proudly gave us its history before we ambled back to the hotel past characterful homes. Outside one were two women laying out a sour dough called tarhana, made from flour, yoghurt and tomatoes and other ingredients, then left to dry on large trays before being crushed and used as a flavourant in cooking.
Some of us mellowed out in the hamam this evening, a wonderful experience which left us feeling scrubbed and pummelled and very relaxed! We sought an indoor restaurant for supper, the first snow having fallen on the mountains in the east and the wind carrying its chill across much of Turkey.
Reflections from Charmaine:
Teeming and overwhelmingly busy, Ephesus is quite simply unbelievable. Steeped in history and a quite wondrous beauty. Hard to comprehend that democracy took its first infant steps in this city and that all lived side by side in tolerant acceptance of their differences. ...for quite some time. There is something to be said about following in the footsteps of St Paul and St John 2000 years later. Very spiritual experience....even for one with not a religious cell in her body!
Selcuk remarkably friendly, courteous and full of tempting goodies to buy!. The aqueduct still stands in ruined splendour in the heart of this small town. Pomegranates bulging from every tree, courtyards crowded with chairs and children and chatter...
The local markets at Karahayet were the best and spring to life as the locals strolled, shopped and chatted in numerous tongues. We chatted to an elderly retired school teacher, Syrian, who spoke lovely antique English and carried with him a pocket dictionary dated 1948! I would have loved to sit and sip tea and learn so much more of his life and experiences. His face was a picture to behold and aged 77, his eyes were piercingly blue, intent and wide.
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